On the Mars Sirenum, British astronauts are walking on the surface of Mars for the first time in over twenty years. The National Space Museum in London is the venue for a spectacular event where the great and the good celebrate a unique British achievement. 

In Adisham, Kent, the most dangerous man in Britain has esaped from custody while being transported by helicopter. In Whitehall, the new Home Secretary is convinced that there is a plot brewing to overthrow the government. In west London, MI5 agents shut down a publising company that got too close to an organisation known as UNIT. And, on a state visit to Washington, the Prime Minister prepares to make a crucial speec, totally unaware that dark forces are working against him. 

As the eighth Doctor and Professor Bernice Summerfield discover, all these events are connected. However, soon all will be overshadowed. 

This time, the Doctor is already too late. 

LANCE PARKIN is the author of the highly successful series chronology A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE and the gound-breaking Missing Adventure COLD FUSION. His first New Adventure JUST WAR received unprecedented acclaim for a début novel.